
Our fifth D1 New England poll of the year is here.
While there’s not as much movement this week as there’s been the last two, there’s still some changes heading into Week 6.
Here’s how things stand through the first weekend of October. Six of the 17 teams will have their bye weeks this weekend…
1. UMass (4-1) – The Minutemen finally had the bubble burst in a blowout loss against Eastern Michigan, but they’re still the best New England has to offer right now. Chance to rebound against Miami of Ohio at home this weekend.
2. Boston College (2-3) – More offensive trouble led to a blown opportunity to upset No. 21 SMU on the road. Much-needed bye week now for BC.
3. Harvard (3-0) – The miracle Hail Mary finish propelled the Crimson to No. 19 in the national rankings and got plenty of eyes on the program. Tough trip to Cornell up next.
4. UConn (2-3) – The Huskies nearly stunned Syracuse in OT, but came up short. Road trip to Temple this weekend.
5. Yale (2-1) – On an incredibly emotional day, Dante Reno led a comeback victory over Merrimack with four touchdowns a day after his father and legendary head coach Tony Reno passed away. Bulldogs host Dartmouth for a big Ivy League tilt on Saturday.
6. Rhode Island (3-3) – Rams squeaked by in the Governor’s Cup after two straight losses. URI has a bye this week.
7. Bryant (4-1) – An insane comeback over NC A&T has the Bulldogs tied for first in the CAA. An in-state matchup with Brown is on deck.
8. CCSU (1-3) – The Blue Devils finally got to play a home game and hammered Wagner. The two-time defending NEC champs host AIC this weekend.
9. Dartmouth (1-2) – The Big Green won a low-scoring, defensive battle against Penn for their first win. Big one against Yale on Saturday.
10. Sacred Heart (2-3) – Pioneers won their second straight CAA game (and second in program history) with an impressive road win over Maine. Stonehill visits next.
11. Brown (1-2) – Bears had a chance to knock off URI, but offense has been a struggle so far. Another in-state matchup up next with Bryant.
12. Holy Cross (2-4) – The Crusaders are getting hot after blowing out William & Mary on the road. Bye week up up next.
13. Merrimack (2-4) – The Warriors had a lead and a chance to take down Yale, but couldn’t hang on in the second half. Merrimack is on its bye week.
14. UNH (2-4) – Wildcats stunned Elon with their best offensive performance of the season. UNH looks to make it two in a row on the road against NC A&T.
15. Stonehill (1-4) – Skyhawks were on a bye, travel to Sacred Heart this weekend.
16. Maine (1-5) – Five straight losses for the Black Bears after a season-opening win. Much-needed bye week this week.
17. New Haven (1-5) – New Haven hung with nationally-ranked Austin Peay, but a 21-point second quarter was the difference. Chargers are now on a bye.